1. Field of the Invention
Present day automobiles employ internal combustion engines housed in body compartments that include many other appurtenances in addition to the engine. The crowded nature of these compartments makes it difficult to service the engine. Access to the spark pluge through a maze of cables, tubes, hoses, etc. is now a major task. To even get in and pull a lead off a spark plug is quite an accomplishment. And, when the engine is running and developing 35,000 or more volts at each spark plug the task of safely pulling a lead from that plug is even greater. The present invention concerns a manually operated tool for engaging the boot of a spark plug lead wire and the attendant safely pulling it free of the plug when the engine is either turned off or running without being burned by the hot engine. The tool is flexible so that it may be inserted in and around the crowded engine chamber to reach the spark plug and has electrically insulating qualities such that the user is fully safe from any high voltage electric shocks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tools having plastic or other handles of insulating materials have long been used. Screw drivers are a good example. However, no tools are known which have combination flexible and insulating handles and wherein both characteristics are essential to the effective operation and use of that tool.
The spark plug embodiments in engines have undergone a gradual evolution over the years of automobile manufacture. Initially lead wires from a distributor were attached to the tops of the plugs by nuts engaging a threaded center terminal. Later, spring snap-on devices on the ends of lead wires were used to effect connections to the center terminals of spark plugs. Still later, boots were added to the ends of spark plug lead wires. The boots acted to enclose the electrical connection of the lead wires to the plugs and also to keep the plug's porcelain insulators shielded from the deposit thereon of the oily grime of an engine. More recently the spark plug lead wires have been made from carbon impregnated strands instead of the usual conductor wire for the purpose of suppressing radio frequency interference. As a result the automobile radios operate without undesirable static. This is an important technological advancement but such carbon impregnated strands are very susceptible to damage and the effectiveness of radio frequency interference suppression is easily destroyed by rough handling.
Still another advance in this field is the use of silicone insulation for ignition cables because of the development of high voltages and the carrying of this high energy in such ignition cables. Here too, insulations such as silicone, have a tendency to be damaged by rough handling. It is important that these insulations not be punctured for them to operate successfully.
Quite often mechanics will use pliers to grasp either the spark plug lead wires or their integral boots in effecting removal of those lead wires from the plugs. Automobile manufacturers advise against the use of pliers or any rough handling which can and usually does damage the cable and its insulation.
The device of this invention gives the automobile mechanic a tool to remove spark plug boots without damage to the sophisticated lead wires or their insulations.